Maya, girl who survived hospital bacteria
All eyes are focused on the K.H.M.H. and a deadly bacteria outbreak in the neonatal intensive care unit. K.H.M.H. figures put the infant mortality in the first twenty days of May at thirteen and the official position is that seven of those infants died as a result of the bacteria, while the rest died from premature birth related illnesses. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the deaths, and nobody has been able to pinpoint the origins of the bacteria. The C.E.O. of the K.H.M.H., Doctor Francis Gary Longsworth, says he learned about the deaths from the media. But the deadly enterobacter cloacae was targeting newborns long before May. One mother who almost lost her precious child in February says her beautiful four month old daughter Maya is lucky to be alive. Maya was born on February fourth and was sent home with a clean bill of health. Then they got an urgent call from the hospital.
Carlee Orozco, Mother
“He came and he told me the next day that my baby was doing fine and she will be discharged. So she was out with me for one week at home and they called me back. Doctor Borland called me back and told me that my baby has a germ, which is an infection in her blood, and I need to come in with her immediately because my baby could die in my hands.”
Odessa Orozco, Grandmother
Carlee Orozco
“She seh well, Miss Orozco you have to bring in back the baby. I say why? Ih say because dehn find out that the baby have wah bacteria ina ih blood. I tell ahn but then Doctor Eck tell we that we could bring home the baby because dehn take the two blood test from ahn and the blood test come out fi be normal; praise the lord. But then when she start to tell me bout this bacteria thing, I tell ahn but how comes unu just wah call we back one week after? Supposed if something bad mi happen to this baby. Well she start to bav on it and sweep it under the rug. But I done figured out that something neva right. When I start to see last month that dehn babies start to have that kinda problem dehn, I start to put two and two together and I said what? She dah the first. When the news come out and dehn said the first baby was treated and released; it is her. It’s her. Dehn neva tell me nothing; dehn neva wah mention it to me. But then mien I di mention it now. That wrong. My baby born eight months, my grandbaby born eight months; she dah wah premie. Supposed if my baby mi deh with dehn people pikney right now? Ih noh mi wah be wah nice thing mien because that dah loen stupidness. This thing ya noh right. All ah those babies gone. What could brign back dehn, weh could bring back dehn? Dehn have to do something about this because this wrong.”
Carlee Orozco
“I just want to tell them to stay strong and god gives justice for everything.”
Baby Maya was pronounced well after seven days on antibiotics. Interestingly enough for those seven days she was not held in the neonatal intensive care unit, but in the pediatric ward. Since public scrutiny and outcry forced a KHMH revelation of the killer bacteria, the neonatal ward has been closed down.
